Mary Young: A good man's life cut way too short

The community and law enforcement have lost another good man who was just trying to do the job he was so well-trained to do.

I first met Deputy Sheriff Kyle Pagerly in March 2009 when I was covering a K-9 demonstration out at the old Berks Heim Annex, before it was turned into a community re-entry center for nonviolent inmates.

At that point, his German shepherd partner Jynx had completed 14 weeks of patrol training and two weeks of explosives detection.

Jynx easily located two hidden explosives and sat down to signal Kyle that he found them.

I was impressed.

"What a team," I thought. "So efficient. So serious about their mission."

Afterward, I saw Kyle and Jynx around the courthouse and out at events now and then.

The next direct contact I had with them was in January.

The Animal Rescue League had donated two new, high-tech bulletproof vests for Jynx and Arez, the dog handled by Deputy Sheriff Danny Voorhies.

Kyle knew what to do with the old ones, which were still in good condition, because he had been following the PA K-9 Assistance Foundation on Facebook.

It's a clearinghouse for donations for K-9 corps. Mike Decher, a police officer in Northampton Township, Bucks County, founded it after his experience taught him that funding for K-9s was hard to come by in municipal budgets.

Two other departments got the Berks K-9s hand-me-downs.

Later that month Jynx entertained the crowd at the airport when Sheriff Eric Weaknecht announced he was running for re-election.

The sheriff said the only two deputies getting paid for being there were Jynx and Arez.

"They insisted on overtime," he said. "They'll file a grievance if they don't get it."

Jynx barked right on cue.

We'll never know if Kyle did something to make that happen. He just stood there at attention with the serious expression I always saw on his face when he was on duty.

Kyle was only 28. We'll never know what great things he might have accomplished had he lived a full life.

May Kyle rest in peace, hopefully knowing that all of us here in Berks County appreciate the sacrifice he made and the difference he made during his short time here on earth.